VANCOUVER – A trial date has been set for a former Vancouver Canucks forward charged with sexual assault.
Jake Virtanen’s case is set to be heard by a judge and jury in B.C. Supreme Court starting on July 18.
Virtanen, 25, was charged with one count of sexual assault in January following a police investigation into an incident that took place on Sept. 26, 2017, when he was playing for the Canucks.
Vancouver police launched the investigation in May 2021 after a 23-year-old woman filed a complaint.
The Canucks placed Virtanen, a native of Abbotsford, B.C., on leave the same month and his contract was bought out in June.
He last played for Spartak Moscow in the Russian-based KHL and is not in custody.
Virtanen was selected sixth overall by Vancouver in the 2014 NHL draft and played 317 regular-season games for the Canucks, registering 55 goals and 100 points.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2022.
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